


I've Got Your Back

by PJO_Connoisseur



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Bobby isn't homophobic you guys are just mean, Bobby | Trevor Wilson Defense Squad, Coming Out, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Good Person Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Misunderstandings, Period-Typical Homophobia, Protective Bobby | Trevor Wilson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:00:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27510400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PJO_Connoisseur/pseuds/PJO_Connoisseur
Summary: In which Alex comes out to the band and Bobby doesn't react as Alex hoped.
Relationships: Alex & Bobby | Trevor Wilson
Comments: 53
Kudos: 295
Collections: oh YES





	I've Got Your Back

**Author's Note:**

> TW for us of the f-slur.

Alex has always been the official Dad Friend. He makes sure the rest of the band is on time for school and does their homework, he has a first-aid kit in his fanny pack and knows how to use it, and he keeps his friends from following through with most of their bad ideas. So, when he winds up in detention for starting a fight, none of them are expecting it.

“You  _ what_?” Luke sputters when Alex explains why he’ll be late to practice. Although the band only takes up half a lunch table, no one ever joins them, knowing they’ll be out of place in a group that tight. “Is this some sort of cry for help or something?”

“What Luke means is,” Reggie says, “are you okay? You don’t get into fights.”

“Do you even know how to fight?” Bobby asks, seemingly more amused than concerned.

Alex shoots Bobby a look. “You’re the scrawniest one here. You don’t get to talk.”

“Scrawny but agile,” Bobby says, pointing at him with a cafeteria fry he proceeds to eat. “I can dodge.”

Alex shakes his head. “Whatever. And no, it wasn’t a cry for help. I’m  _ fine_.” He’s lucky he has a lack of physical marks to help his case. What happened could barely even be called a fight. 

Last week one of Alex’s songs fell out of his notebook, and Josh, a guy he has a couple classes with, found it, saw the male pronouns and romantic nature, and connected the dots. He’s been harassing him since, making snide comments when no one is around to hear, probably so he could keep hanging a potential outing over Alex’s head. Normally Alex could handle it on his own, but today Josh graduated from accusing Alex of watching the other guys change to questioning the nature of his relationship with his bandmates. Something inside Alex snapped and he was about to throw a punch when the coach came in, which was probably a good thing. Even as the biggest member of the band, Alex probably still couldn’t take Josh in a fight.

Even though Alex isn’t normally a fighter and hates to miss rehearsal for a detention, he can’t bring himself to regret what he almost did. Luke, Reggie, and Bobby are his family, and they don’t deserve to be branded as perverts because of association with Alex. Alex would do anything to protect them, and for the time being, he’d also do anything to keep them from finding out he’s gay. He’s next to certain they won’t reject him, but they’re too important to him to take that risk.

Alex’s bandmates all share a look. With Alex’s obvious defensiveness, even Bobby is growing wary. “You know that we have your back if anything is going on, right?” Bobby says with gentleness more characteristic of Reggie or Alex himself. “You can tell us.”

Alex shakes his head. “Nothing is going on. Seriously.” The lie comes out easier than expected. As much as the guys tease him for being the emotional one, Reggie and Luke are the ones who wear their hearts on their sleeves. Or, Reggie does, while Luke would probably need to get his tattooed on one of his near permanently exposed arms. They’re the ones who are easy to see through, but Alex? Alex is good at covering up by now, pulling explanations out of thin air. But he’s used to doing that with his parents, not his real family, and the lie tastes like spoiled milk on his tongue.

Before his friends can continue their questioning, and they will, because Alex is a good liar but even he can’t normalize a pseudo fight, Alex dumps his uneaten lunch and is early to his next class.

With every day that passes, Alex’s anxiety hits a new all-time high. Instead of taking the near-punch as a warning, Josh is more enthralled with this cat-and-mouse game than ever, knowing he can take Alex in a fight and reveling in how he can make him squirm. The threat of an outing is getting more intense, Josh’s public dialogue with Alex always teetering on a reveal before aborting at the last second. No matter how many times Josh plays with him like that, Alex knows that Josh is not above carrying through. Worse, Josh knows he knows that, which only sweetens the pot.

As Alex’s trepidation worsens, so does his drum-playing. What began as a couple missed notes here and there becomes playing the wrong pace or the wrong key or the wrong  _ song_. While Luke, Reggie, and Bobby are trying to play “Long Weekend,” Alex is butchering “Now or Never,” and he’s so distracted he doesn’t notice his friends have prematurely stopped playing until he reaches the end of the song. When he’s done, all three are staring at him with something bordering on pity.

“Alex,” Reggie says, voice soft as he sets his bass aside and steps closer. “Please talk to us.”

Alex is staring down his drum set as he answers on reflex. “I told you guys I — ” He cuts off as he looks up. Three pairs of eyes are boring into him. Luke’s hand is on Reggie’s shoulder as Reggie is on the verge of tears. Although he isn’t glassy-eyed, the corners of Luke’s lips are quirked down. On Alex’s other side, Bobby has set aside his rhythm guitar and his arms are crossed, less like he’s annoyed and more like he doesn’t know what else to do with them. Alex is gripping his drumsticks in such a way that he fears they may snap, though even that wouldn’t be as loud as the silence he’s creating.

Alex sets aside the drumsticks, and when he does, his hands are shaking. “I—” His mouth clamps shut again. How does he do this? It should be simple. Two little words.  _ I’m gay. _ But those two words feel big enough to take up the entire room and suffocate them all within it. What if they’re suddenly horrified by all the times they’ve changed in front of or fallen asleep cuddling with him? What if by easing their troubled minds he’s only giving them something worse to contemplate? The room feels as though it’s tilting.

“We love you,” Luke says, and he’s so earnest Alex nearly cries on the spot.

Alex hopes, more than he’s ever hoped for anything, that that statement is still true when this is over. “I’m gay.” Forcing out those two words is like unclogging a drain. An explanation of the whole situation with Josh interspersed with apologies comes pouring out of Alex, stumbling over his words but managing to put everything on the table. All the while Luke is tightening his jaw and Reggie is becoming increasingly horrified and Bobby is exiting Alex’s peripheral vision and Alex is certain he just blew up the only family he has.

When he’s done with his speech, Alex braces himself for the backlash. When he came out to his parents, the result was less a storm and more a steadily building flood washing away what had been their relationship, leaving nothing in its wake. His relationship with his parents is now  _ nothing_. He isn’t looking at the guys when he stands and walks toward the door.

Alex gets mere steps past his bandmates before a pair of arms wraps around his torso. The arms belong to Reggie, who is now clinging to him for dear life. Luke turns the embrace into a group hug, joining on Alex’s other side. Alex blinks, glancing between his friends and unable to process.

“We love you,” Luke repeats, as if nothing has changed, but Alex knows they all know something has. An additional layer of trust and intimacy has been added to their relationship, and there’s no going back from that.

Yet, right as Alex is about to let the love and relief settle over him, he catches sight of Bobby a few feet away. Bobby’s face is twisted, eyebrows furrowed, and he doesn’t spare Alex so much as a glance before storming out of the studio. Alex’s stomach sinks.

“Bobby…” Alex says.

Luke and Reggie take a second to process what Alex said. When they do, they pull back from Alex while keeping their arms around him, looking around the studio.

“Where’d he go?” Reggie asks.

Alex is pretty sure the knot in his stomach is his misplaced heart. “He left.”

Reggie is confused, but anger flashes in Luke’s eyes. “He  _ left_?” Luke snaps.

Alex’s throat tightens. “He...he looked pissed.”

Reggie’s face falls. “But he...I didn’t think he’d be…”

Luke shakes his head. “Neither did I.”

Alex says nothing, but  _ he _ didn’t think so, either. Bobby has always been the most emotionally rough around the edges, the most secretive, the most willing to break the rules, but on a fundamental level he was the most chill, “live and let live” in its purest form. Except apparently he wasn’t, because Alex came out to him and he fucking  _ left_. Bobby’s expression is burned into Alex’s brain by the sheer fiery intensity of the hatred displayed. Alex never saw Bobby look like that before, can barely believe he himself is the one who brought it on. The band never minded Bobby being a private person, but all at once Alex is unsure if they ever knew him at all.

“Whatever,” Luke says with a voice that proves it is very much not ‘whatever.’ “Who needs him? Me and Reggie have your back no matter what.” Despite his words, there is betrayal in his eyes.

Alex winces at the familiarity of the declaration.  _ You know that we have your back if anything is going on, right? _ Alex never pegged Bobby for a liar. “Yeah,” he says, his hurt over Bobby overruling his relief over Reggie and Luke. As scared as Alex was, he’s realizing now that Bobby’s gone how confident he ultimately was that his friends would accept him. “I...I think I need to be alone.”

“Are you sure?” Reggie says, and Luke has to more or less drag Reggie away from the hug. 

After Alex nods, Luke says,“Call us if you need us.”

“Even if you don’t want to talk about it,” Reggie adds. “We can just...be there.”

Alex nods again, mouth clamped shut, unable to form words as tears gather in his eyes. Luke and Reggie are both reluctant to leave, especially the latter, but Luke guides them out of the studio. The second they’re gone, Alex breaks down.

The guys met Bobby last, but he was never a lesser part of the band, a lesser part of the  _ family_. Bobby was the friend Alex went to when he needed a place to stay with no questions asked. There was a comfort in not needing to explain, in having a kind of trust that didn’t need words. If Alex were to use one word to describe the ways each of his friends loved, Reggie’s would be compassionate, Luke’s would be intense, and Bobby’s would be unconditional. Alex didn’t believe any of his friends were homophobic, but if he was forced to rank them the possibility five minutes ago, he would have pegged Bobby as least likely.

But five minutes ago was five minutes ago, and now is now, and the two points in time have nothing in common.

Alex considers not going to school the next day. Bobby is in two of his classes and their lockers are only a few apart, and he doesn’t think he can face him. He’s not the one who should feel like he has to hide, but Bobby’s rejection dredges up all the feelings he thought he’d gotten over—the doubt, the shame, the self-hatred. Luke and Reggie treating him exactly the same as before should overrule one person’s cruelty, but he can’t stop thinking about Bobby. The look on his face. The way he swept out of the room like he couldn’t stand to be there a second longer.

Alex only ends up going because he knows this is unavoidable. At some point he’ll have to adjust to Bobby not only not being a part of his life but actively hating him, so he might as well start now, even if the wound is still fresh.

When Alex is at his locker, moving like a rusted-over robot, he’s thinking about Bobby, but Josh is the person he sees next. In his distraction he actually managed to forget about Josh, although the reminder brings on another issue: Bobby could out him. He doesn’t have time to dwell on the thought before Josh is within feet of him, mouth pulled in a hyena grin, lips parting to make a comment.

Right then, Bobby arrives at his locker, unlocking it on muscle memory alone as his eyes flick between Josh and Alex. His mouth is pulled into a hard line. Josh frowns, shoves Alex, and carries on without comment. While the interaction was unpleasant, it’s the best one Alex has had with Josh in months.

Bobby closes his locker with books in hand, smiling as he approaches Alex. “Hey.”

“ _ Hey_?” Alex says, startled by his own volume. “That’s what you have to say to me?”

Bobby raises his eyebrows. “I—yeah?” Then, his face drops. “I—”

“Fuck off,” Alex says, a curse coming from his mouth enough to draw attention from passerby. He shouldn’t be doing this and he knows it. As long as Bobby knows his secret, he has the ability to make Alex’s life a living hell, so he should be playing nice. But all his anguish from yesterday has since received enough heat and pressure to turn it into anger, so perhaps for the first time in his life, caution goes out the window. He walks away before Bobby can get another word in.

Today is strange. Alex is able to avoid winding up alone with Josh, but that’s never stopped his threats before. Yet today he and Josh cross paths at least half a dozen times without incident. Each time Josh is sneering, his gaze somewhere over Alex’s shoulder. At lunch Bobby takes the hint from earlier and sits by himself a couple tables over, and Josh, for whom lunch is normally the best time to strike, sticks to his own group.

Although Alex is grateful for peace, he’s not entirely calm, dread lurking in the corners of his mind. Something is going on, and he’s convinced that he won’t like where it leads him.

Alex has his last detention after school, but he’s ultimately appreciative for it because the numerous detentions were the price for avoiding suspension and his parents being informed. Besides, there’s no band practice today, so he’ll be doing the homework he would have been doing in the same time slot anyway. At three Bobby spots Alex as he’s heading into detention, and Bobby turns away from the exit to go back toward the library.

Detention passes without incident as it’s normally occupied by a couple regulars and students who committed random benign acts like skipping school or cheating on a test. When it’s over, Alex is the last one out, the hallway empty by the time Alex enters it. And Josh is waiting for him, leaning against the lockers across the hall, showing his teeth as his lips curl into a predatory smile.

Alex has never been so petrified.

Josh pushes himself off the lockers, strutting toward Alex with a twinkle in his eye. Despite the weird day he’s now back to normal only tenfold. “I didn’t think you had it in you,” he says. “Sending your boyfriend after me was so ballsy I almost respect it. A dumb fucking move, but ballsy.”

Alex doesn’t realize he’s backing up until he hits the locker. “W-what are you talking about?” For the first time he’s lost.

Ignoring him, Josh continues, “Especially when he’s even scrawnier than you are.” He presses his hands to the lockers on either side of Alex’s head, boxing him in. The couple of inches Josh has on Alex now feel like a foot. Alex shrinks down without meaning to, and Josh’s grin widens. “I’m not dumb enough to start anything with witnesses, but now you’re here alone, and if your boyfriend starts something with me tomorrow, what can I do but defend myself?” He leans in as he speaks, his breath hot on Alex’s face, and every way he may pummel Alex soar through Alex’s head like a slideshow even as his confusion mounts.

“What the fuck did I tell you?”

Alex and Josh’s heads whip toward the side insync. Walking toward them from the library is Bobby, purpose in every step he takes. Josh sighs as if Bobby’s presence is a mild inconvenience.

“Fine, then,” Josh says, cracking his neck as he approaches Bobby. “Two fags, one fist.”

If Bobby was running with a plan instead of on rage, he would have remembered his conversation with the band and dodged. As it is, he takes a swing at Josh’s face, missing and stumbling forward with the momentum. Josh, on the other hand, does not miss, and Bobby’s nose cracks under his fist. The noise makes biles rise in Alex’s throat as Bobby falls against the lockers, clutching his bleeding face.

All at once Alex feels stupid for not connecting the dots sooner. When Bobby left yesterday, he was going to threaten Josh. Everything makes sense now, but he doesn’t have time to feel the relief as Josh rounds back to get to Alex. 

Only because he knows Josh will follow, Alex bolts, Josh’s footsteps echoing behind him within seconds. As they near the end of the hall, Alex drops like a rock, and Josh with all his speed and weight trips over him, twisting his ankle before he rolls into the wall. On pure adrenaline and an ingrained sense of self-preservation, Alex sends his foot straight between Josh’s legs, the larger boy yelling in pain. Alex doesn’t stick around to watch him squirm, racing back to Bobby, who he rushes to his car with no words between them.

The pair doesn’t speak until they’re sitting at Alex’s kitchen table, Bobby holding a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel to his nose. Alex’s parents are rarely home, leaving them alone in the house. Dried blood is streaked down Bobby’s face.

“So,” Alex says. Now that they’re out of danger he’s able to process his epiphany and ensuing guilt. Bobby threatened Josh on Alex’s behalf and Alex assumed Bobby hated him. Fuck. “I’m sorry,” Alex says, staring at his hands. “For...for telling you to fuck off earlier. I thought you were mad I’m gay.”

Bobby’s eyes widen. “You thought—” He cuts himself off, contemplative. “Fuck, I didn’t even think about how that must of looked. When you told us about Josh all I could think about was getting him to leave you alone. I’m sorry.”

Alex’s head shoots up. “No! I mean...please don’t be sorry. You...you did a lot for me today. Thank you.”

Bobby nods, wincing as the peas rub his nose. “Guess we both fucked up. Truce?” He holds out his free hand.

Alex laughs softly and shakes it. “Yeah. Truce.” A couple minutes pass in comfortable silence until Alex says, “How’s your nose?”

“You tell me,” Bobby says, removing the bag of peas.

Alex leans in within inches to analyze the damage, grimacing without meaning to. While the break will heal with ice alone, knowledge Alex has due to experience with Luke, the injury still looks terrible, especially with the blood on Bobby’s face. When he pulls his eyes from Bobby’s nose to his eyes, Bobby is watching him with an inscrutable expression.

“Sorry!” Alex says, jumping back.

Bobby’s eyebrows furrow as Alex fetches a damp rag to clean up the blood with. “For what?” he asks, accepting the rag. He winces as he washes away the blood.

“Getting so close,” Alex says, not quite meeting his eyes. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Alex,” Bobby says, halting his cleaning and waiting for Alex to look at him before continuing. “You were acting normal.”

“But it’s different now,” Alex mumbles.

“No, it’s not,” Bobby says. He finishes removing the blood and replaces the ice pack. “You’re the same person you were before. I’m not over here thinking you’re trying to make a move on me or something. Although if you did I couldn’t blame you, I am incredibly handsome.”

Alex rolls his eyes, but his smile is returning. There it is, the unconditionality, the casualness. Humor is Bobby’s way of normalizing it and proving to Alex that it really is okay. “So you won’t mind if I still join the group cuddle on movie nights?” Alex asks.

“I’ll mind if you  _ don’t_,” Bobby says, lightly punching his arm.

And this, this is the Bobby Alex knows. In this moment he can’t believe he ever thought otherwise. The warmth is temporary, though, as his mind drifts back to the lingering issue of Josh. “He’s probably going to start another fight and be more prepared next time.” Alex swallowed. “Maybe bring his friends.”

Bobby grabs Alex’s hand atop the table, giving it a squeeze. “Hey, it’ll be okay. We just have to be more careful. You, me, Reggie, and Luke—we’ll all stick together. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“What about you?” Alex blurts. “He thinks you’re my boyfriend because of all this. He’s guaranteed to have told everyone that by tomorrow.” He releases a ragged, mournful breath as his head hangs. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

Bobby lets go of Alex’s hand to swat his head, prompting Alex to glare at him. “Don’t say dumb shit like that,” Bobby says. “By now you should know better than to think I’d ever let anyone mess with you.”

Alex blinks back tears. “But...look what happened.”

“So what?” Bobby says with such nonchalance Alex almost believes his broken nose isn’t a big deal. Bobby pulls the peas away for a few seconds, smirking as he says, “It’s a good look. The ladies love a bad boy.”

Alex rolls his eyes. “I get it now. This whole thing was just an excuse to get the rugged look.”

“You know it,” Bobby says with a wink. “Seriously, though. Who cares what they think?”

“I care,” Alex says. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“It’s not because of you, Alex, it’s because of  _ them_. You didn’t choose to be gay, but they choose to be assholes. And even if you  _ did_ choose, that wouldn't make it okay. So if anyone gives you shit, I’ll fuck their shit up.”

Alex scoffs. “Because this fight went so well?”

Bobby shrugs. “I thought we made a pretty good team for being unprepared and all.”

Alex frowns as a thought strikes. “Why were you even still at school? You never go to the library, and you were leaving before you saw me and turned around.”

“I wanted to make sure nothing happened,” Bobby says. “Figured it wouldn’t hurt to hang around until I knew you made it home safe. Guess it was a good thing I did.”

Alex flounders for words. “I—you—you did that even after I was a jerk to you?”

Bobby shrugs. “I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew it’d take more than one fight to make you stop being my brother.”

This time Alex can’t hold back the tears, pulling Bobby into a hug, careful not to disturb his nose. Bobby is taken aback, but he returns the embrace with his free arm. “Thank you,” Alex mumbles against his shoulder.

Bobby chuckles, rubbing Alex’s back. “What’s family for if not kicking the asses of homophobes?”

Alex pulls back, wiping his eyes. “Once again, you didn’t kick any ass.”

“I’ll kick yours if you don’t stop calling me out,” Bobby says. When he sticks out his tongue, Alex is reminded of Luke.

Luke, who along with Reggie, still thinks Bobby is a homophobe. Shit.

“I gotta call the guys,” Alex says. “They, uh, are also convinced you hate me for being gay. Sorry about that.”

In a rare moment of vulnerability, there is hurt on Bobby’s face. “It’s fine,” he says despite the moment, and he seems to mean it. “You can make it up to me by telling everyone what an incredible boyfriend I am.”

Alex rolls his eyes, but then the doubt is back. “Are you sure you don’t care? I mean, if he spreads that around it’s not like anyone would believe the truth anyway, but still.”

Bobby retakes Alex’s hand. “Alex, darling, there’s no one I would rather be accidental fake boyfriends with. People can believe what they want. I told you I’ve got your back, and I do, so stop feeling guilty, okay?”

Alex chews his lip.

“ _Okay_?” Bobby repeats.

“Okay,” Alex relents. 

Tension leaves Bobby’s body. “Good. Now be a good boyfriend and make me a snack please.” And he winks again, god damn it.

“You’re insufferable,” Alex says without any bite.

Bobby gives him a cheeky smile. “But you love me anyway.”

“Yeah, I do,” Alex says, getting out the ingredients for sandwiches.

And they continue to love each other, and annoy each other, and be there for each other, just like they always promised they would.

**Author's Note:**

> Me: We need more straight guys who are just as physically affectionate with their gay friends as their straight ones without being like "no homo"  
> Also me: *is so ingrained in writing romance I almost started writing a romantic ending before turning around*
> 
> Anyway Bobby would be the first person to fight a homophobe on Alex's behalf and that's a fact. Thanks to  isnt_that_wizard  for the inspiration 🙂


End file.
